A fatal crash in November 2016 will not result in charges against a Brantford police officer, the province's Special Investigations Unit announced Wednesday.

The accident, which involved a police chase, caused the death of 94-year-old Bernadette Froncisz and seriously injured her daughter, Muriel Duke, both of Brantford.

"Our officer is saddened by the fact someone's life was lost but he's happy to hear this is finally concluded and he can move on with his life," said Const. Mark Baxter, president of the Brantford Police Association.

Anthony David Sears, 29, of Brantford, was sentenced last May to six years in penitentiary for the accident at Colborne Street West and Gilkison Street -- the same intersection where two years earlier Ashley Lerno, 18, of Brantford was killed by a criminal speeding away from police.

The SIU report says evidence points to the police as the reason Sears decided to speed and drive dangerously. But, the report says that the officer followed protocol by slowing and turning off his emergency lights and siren as soon as he saw Sears was driving dangerously.

"The officer did nothing to exacerbate (Sears') pattern of reckless driving," wrote SIU director Tony Loparco in the report.

"The officer cannot be held responsible for (Sears') driving behaviour when (Sears) made the conscious decision to attempt to evade police and drive in the manner that he did," he said.

"As is evidenced by the civilian witnesses as well as the CCTV footage, (the officer) followed at a far lesser rate of speed."

Police Chief Geoff Nelson said he is not surprised by the report.

"The subject officer placed the safety of our community ahead of all else by choosing not to pursue this vehicle. Regrettably, the officer's concern for public safety wasn't shared by Mr. Sears who is solely responsible for this tragedy."

The SIU's investigation included interviews with nine witnesses , along with radio communications recordings, closed circuit TV footage from several locations, GPS data from the officer's cruiser, an accident reconstruction report and a recorded conversation between the officer and his staff sergeant after the incident.

"There appears to be no dispute as to the facts," says the report.

Neither Sears nor the officer involved would speak to the SIU for the investigation.

Baxter said that, since officers being questioned by the SIU are often the subject of criminal investigations, they have the right not to make a statement. This officer submitted his witness statement, which he had made to Brantford police.

The SIU investigation showed the officer was tailing a Nissan driven by Sears, who had an outstanding arrest warrant due to a stabbing.

When the officer put on his lights and siren, Sears's vehicle sped up going west over the Lorne Bridge. The officer saw him veer into oncoming traffic to pass another car and called off his pursuit, dropping back. But, as he crested the top of the bridge, the officer saw Sears's vehicle lose control as it tried to turn left at Gilkison and hit a car riving by Muriel Duke, killing Froncisz.

"Not once did we ever blame (the officer) for it," Nicky Sayyeas, Duke's daughter, said on behalf on her family.

"We bear him absolutely no ill will because he was only doing his job."

Sayyeas said that her mother - who suffered a broken sternum and several other broken bones in the crash -- is still in pain and undergoing physiotherapy three times a week.

A reconstruction report put the speed of Sears's vehicle at 131 km-h.

In court, it was revealed Sears had 29 previous convictions and had twice been found guilty of dangerous driving.

Charges of dangerous driving or criminal negligence would only be levied against the officer if he showed "a marked departure from a reasonable level of care in the circumstances" said the report.

Baxter said the officer "did all the right things according to training."

"This tragedy could have been averted if Sears had just stopped for police," he said.

"Unfortunately, Sears continued driving in a dangerous manner and a lady passed away."

Baxter and Nelson both said the SIU takes too long to investigate cases.

"We continue to be frustrated by the amount of time it takes the SIU to render decisions," said Nelson, noting the SIU report was completed last October but he was only notified of the outcome last week.

Baxter said that oversight of the police is important but taking 15 months to clear an officer is "completely unreasonable."

"It's unfair to the family of the victim and unfair to the officer to have this hanging over his head."

Baxter noted Sears was convicted and sentenced within five months.

Changes to the length of SIU investigation have been recently proposed as part of the Safer Ontario Act.

Four months after the death of Ashley Lerno in October 2014, the SIU released its report and charged two Brant OPP officers with criminal negligence causing death and dangerous driving causing death.

Just before a trial that was set to begin in March 2017, the officers pleaded guilty to the charges and received conditional discharges.

The subject of the police chase, Richard Gamble, also was found guilty of those charges, plus driving while disqualified and failing to stop at an accident involving bodily harm or death. Due to his dozens of driving-related convictions, Gamble was sentenced in October 2016 to 13 years in prison.